Little Penguin Fashion

The Tasmanian Conservation Trust sponsors a project in which volunteers around the world can knit jumpers for the penguins that live on their island. This particular species of penguin-- called "Little Penguins" because they are the smallest variety of the bird-- is very affected by the environment around it. Because of Australianoil spills, the birds need these little sweaters to keep them warm, because the oil damages their thermal feathers, and to keep them from ingesting the oil when they clean themselves. The TCT website-- http://www.tct.org.au-- offers a knitting pattern to make the jumpers. (There is a new knitting pattern for Adelie penguins and chicks as well.) It even has a picture of two Little penguins wearing their freshly knitted jumpers!

As a bit of a side note, I'm going to ask my friends and family to contribute to a fund to build a fence around the Little penguins' habitat to prevent them from "interacting with passing traffic" as the website so kindly puts it instead of giving me Christmas and birthday presents (my birthday is coming up shortly). If everyone asks you what you want, and you can't think of anything, just ask them to donate to a charity.

Update: the website now says that the project is finished thanks to numerous volunteers. Thanks to koreykruse for telling me!

The fairy penguins, now more commonly referred to as little penguins, have had it rough the last century. In the last 80 years they have lost close to 75% of their breeding grounds to encroachment of human settlements. Currently, their numbers are strongest on Phillip Island in Australia, just south of Melbourne. In January2000, the area was hit by an oil spill off the coast. Most of the penguins would have died, had it not been for the clever local biologists, whose creative thinking incited a worldwide effort and united knitters from many nations.

Little penguins, as their name indicates, are small, averaging half the height of their famous cousins, the AntarcticEmperor penguins. They share many similar characteristics with the bigger birds including the natural oils that coat their feathers. This layer of oils makes their bodies waterproof and keeps them warm even in near freezing waters. The penguins are also somewhat vain, preening their feathers regularly to keep them clean and shiny. These two facts about our penguin friends can be lethal in combination with an oil spill.

The natural, protective oils break down when they come in contact with crude oil from a spill. Furthermore, when a penguin is rescued and cleaned, it takes several weeks for these natural oils to be restored. In the meantime, you are left with a clean, but cold penguin. Rescuers at Phillip Island were quick to notice that penguins dressed in wooldollsweaters stayed healthy and recovered quickly.

The word spread that helpless little penguins were in need of sweaters and within a few weeks, the rescue center was flooded with hand knit donations from around the world. Wool is the yarn of choice as its fibers breakdown with contact with salt water and slowly disintegrate before the penguins are released back into the wild. The sweaters serve a twofold purpose: they keep the penguins warm while oils are restored and they also prevent them from preening their feathers, which prevent them from ingesting any crude oil residues.

Staff regularly monitor the penguins to assess their water proofness. When penguins are water proof they are tagged and released.

There is no longer a need for penguin sweaters on Phillip Island, since the center now has a healthy stockpile in case of another emergency. Donations of hand knit sweaters, however, are still being accepted and are sold at the gift center on the island, with proceeds going to research and conservation efforts. Sweaters are also collected by The Tasmanian Conservation Trust as well as other animal rescue groups.

Stitch up sides to just before start of decrease * opening for flippers * leave opening about 2 in. long (5 cm).

**Note: If you can't manage the double pointed needles for the neck, just use the regular needles and do the k1, p1 pattern on 28 sts. for 16 rows after the decrease, and stitch up the sides of the neck just like for the body.